Escape
by luanee
Summary: COMPLETED...Set post Season 2 finale...What happens to JackSawyerKate after they were caught by the Others... Lots of Sawyer angst!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Sawyer awoke to the feel of their boat hitting something solid. "We must have reached land" he thought groggily. It was not easy to breathe with that hood over his head, and having a gag in the mouth plus hands and feet bound weren't comfortable either. Soon he felt a pair of hands hoisting him roughly to his feet, dragging him unceremoniously to walk across some plank before his feet felt soft earth under them.

He heard the sound of dragging feet behind him and deduced that Kate and Jack were being treated the same way. He hoped they were alright. After a while, his feet touched something concrete and he guessed they have entered some sort of building.

"Son-of-a-bitch" Sawyer managed to utter beneath the gag as he was pushed onto the hard floor. A foot immediately kicked him in his stomach, causing him to fall onto his side and wince in pain.

"Leave him alone". Henry Gale's voice came through. And as the hood over his head was removed, Sawyer saw that they were in a small room, furnished only with a table at a corner. A group of the 'Others' who were with them in the boat stood around the room.

"Bring the stuff in" ordered Henry. Sawyer managed to push himself up to a kneeling position. He looked around and saw Kate and Jack kneeling nearby, looking equally puzzled.

"You must be wondering why we brought you here. Well, you will soon know the answer", said Henry. Two men and a woman came into the room, each holding on to a syringe. One of them knelt next to Sawyer and jabbed a needle into his arm.

"Arrgh.." Sawyer growled beneath his gag and used his head to push the man hard, causing him to topple onto the ground. The man jumped onto his feet immediately and kicked Sawyer in his head near his left temple, causing him to fall onto his side again. The needle in his arm broke with one end still sticking into his flesh.

"Mmmff, mmmff" Kate was struggling to get up onto her feet, concern clearly in her eyes. Sawyer could feel a trickle of blood flowing down his face from where the man kicked him.

"You've better co-operate with us, Mr Ford, no point getting yourself all worked up" Henry said calmly. He motioned to the other 2 persons holding the syringes. The woman pierced a needle into Kate's arm and withdrew a syringe of blood. The man did likewise for Jack.

"Now, Mr Ford, your turn." Said Henry. A man came in with a new syringe. Henry knelt next to Sawyer, who was still lying on the ground. He pulled out the broken needle and inserted the new one in, drawing blood into the syringe.

"We will let you know the test results tomorrow. Good night." Henry turned to go, with the others following behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Kate hopped across the room to Sawyer. She couldn't understand why this guy loves to get beaten up. Does he have a death-wish? She has lost count of the number of times seeing him being hurt, covered in blood, nearly dying. It hurts her to see him like this.

Sawyer looked up to see Kate looking at him. "Hell, she is actually concerned about me" he thought happily. He tried to sit up but the bounded hands and feet were making it difficult. However he managed it finally and gave Kate a grin which he hoped was encouraging. He could taste his blood at the corner of his mouth, probably from the head wound which that son-of-a-bitch had kicked him earlier.

Someone opened the door. It was a middle-aged woman. She put something on the small table and walked over to Jack to remove his gag. Then she removed Kate's followed by Sawyer's.

"Geesh, thanks, I was thinking I have to walk around with this piece of foul-tasting cloth stuck in my mouth forever!" Sawyer said. The woman ignored him. She walked to the table and brought a box over, on which there were a few Apollo bars.

"Hell, how are we going to eat with our hands tied behind us?" Sawyer asked. The woman acted like she never hear a thing and just left the room, locking the door from the outside.

Sawyer looked at Kate and Jack. "Do you think she is deaf?" he asked. Kate sighed. Only he will think of such a question in this kind of situation.

"I guess we have to feed each other" Kate said. She hopped over the box, turned her back and picked up a bar using her hands behind her back. After unwrapping it with much difficulty, she asked "Who first?"

"Me of course, Freckles!" smirked Sawyer. He hopped over to her, but instead of bringing his mouth to the chocolate on her hands, he turned his back and removed the bar from her using the hands behind his back.

"Turn around, Freckles, at least I get to feed the lady." Kate smiled. She did as she was told and used her mouth to bite the bar off his hands. It wasn't very tidy but at least it satisfied some of her hunger.

The three of them took turns feeding each other the same way until all the bars in the box disappeared. Soon they began to doze off, sleeping on the hard concrete.

It was hours later when Sawyer woke. He couldn't tell whether it was day or night as there were no window in the room. His shoulders were aching from the awkward position of sleeping on the floor with his hands tied behind him. And his head ached from the kick he got from that man the day before. He struggled to sit up and saw that Kate was awake too. "How's your head?" she asked, sitting up as well.

Jack heard their voices and sat up too. "It looks pretty bad, you should know when to keep your mouth shut" he said.

"Hey doc, for your information, I was gagged when he kicked me! My mouth ain't opened!" Sawyer replied. Jack just shook his head. "Any dizziness? Nauseous?"

"Nay, but if they don't give me any more stuff other than those tiny Apollo bars soon, I think I am going to faint from hunger." Sawyer said, flashing his dimples.

The door was suddenly flung opened. Henry walked in together with two other men behind him. "Good morning ! We have great news for you… From your blood samples, we found a good match from among the three of you. Now we can begin the real tests" he announced, smiling sinisterly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The two men behind Henry stood forward. One of them was holding a syringe. But this one was clearly not meant for collecting blood samples like the previous day's. There was some blue liquid in it.

"Mr Ford, if I guessed correctly, your body was attacked by some sort of bacteria not too long ago, and you took some strong antibiotics to fight that, right?" Henry asked.

"Yeah, all thanks to the bullet you sent into my shoulder, which caused me to develop some jungle-infested fever" Sawyer replied, glaring at Henry.

"Oh, I didn't realize that did the trick!" Henry was laughing. "We have been searching for a body with that unique combination of bacteria mix to conduct our tests. And yours proved to be the perfect match for our researchers. The bacteria from the jungle attacked your body. Then the antibiotics you took destroyed the bad bacteria but it removed some the good ones too. And now some of the bad ones have mutated to become other forms which we had not tried before…."

"What are you trying to do?" Kate asked, moving towards Sawyer.

"Don't worry, lady, we are just doing some tests". Henry said. "Bring it over, and hold him tight, don't waste the serum".

The two men knelt next to Sawyer, one on each side. The first one held his arm firmly while the other one held the syringe near it. Sawyer struggled frantically. He's not going to let them do any damn tests on him. He jerked his shoulders and attempted to use his bound legs to kick the men. "Get the hell off me!" he shouted. The man holding the syringe hesitated to inject the needle into Sawyer's arm, as he was clearly afraid of the syringe breaking like what happened the day before.

"Get lost!" shouted Henry. He stood with a crowbar-like thing on his hand, and swung it to hit Sawyer's head. The last thing he remembered before slipping into darkness was Kate calling out his name.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

He woke with a massive headache. Being hit on the head two times two days in a row isn't doing wonders for his head. He opened his eyes slowly, squirting against the pain behind his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Kate was kneeling next to him, her hands still behind her back.

"Like my head's been run over by a 100-tonne truck." Sawyer lamented. He grimaced has he tried to sit up, letting the stars dancing before his eyes subside a little before he spoke again. "How long was I out?"

"A couple of hours I think" Jack replied. He looked at Sawyer with concern. "Are you really feeling alright?"

"Hell, doc, I just answered that damn question!" Sawyer growled.

"I am not asking about your head." Jack said. "What about the rest of your body? Any ill feelings?"

"As far as I know, my head is threatening to explode, my shoulders are aching from lying on the hard damn floor, and my wrists are sore from the bounds, my feet are numb, and my throat is dying of thirst soon! Does that satisfy you?" Sawyer shouted, his physical pain not doing much to help alleviate his mood at the moment.

"No, Sawyer, listen." Kate said. "They injected the blue liquid into you when you were knocked out. How do you feel now?"

Sawyer turned his head to look at his arm instinctively. There was indeed a tiny needle mark on his arm. "Great, what the hell did they stuff into me? What are those tests they talking about?"

"I am not sure, but I remembered Michael telling me they made Walt do some tests too." Jack said.

Sawyer leaned against the wall with his bound feet in front of him, feeling very tired all of a sudden. He closed his eyes.

"Sawyer, are you alright?" Kate asked, not used to the quietness of the Southern man.

"Yeah, just peachy" Sawyer said. But he knew he was lying. His whole body feels very lethargic all over. There were no strength in his arms and legs. The throbbing in his head gets louder by the minute. Suddenly, a pang of pain hit him in the stomach squarely, causing him to yell out a cry against his wish. "Aaargh…" he fell onto the floor sideways and doubled up, trying to curl into a ball to curb the pain, his bound hands thrashing behind his back.

"Help help! Somebody help!" Kate shouted frantically. She was almost crying. What have they done to him?

Someone opened the door. This time it was Tom, the man with the fake beard. He had removed his beard though. "Oh I see Mr Ford is reacting to the virus at last". He squatted next to Sawyer and drew a sample of his blood into a syringe. "We will do some tests and see how it's progressed." Then he stood up and left, shutting the door behind him.

"Hey you can't leave him like this!" Kate shouted. But she knew he couldn't hear her. She turned to look at Jack, who was looking at Sawyer. The pain seemed to have subsided a little. He was still on the ground all curled up, but at least he wasn't thrashing about as much.

"Sawyer, Sawyer, can you hear me?" Kate asked. Sawyer heard her, but he was in too much pain to reply. He gritted his teeth and grunted a little, lying on his side willing the pain to go away.

After what seemed like eternity, the door was opened again. Henry walked in with the same two men. "It looks like we are getting the right response from his body, which our researchers are very glad about… So now we have no more use for the two of you. You may leave now, but don't ever think of coming back to find us. We will release Mr Ford once we have completed our tests." He added on an afterthought "If he survives them."

One of the men walked over to Kate holding a hood to be put over her head. "No!" she shouted. "Wait! I am staying with him, I am not leaving!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Henry looked at Kate with a smile. "Looks like we've got a pair of lovey-dovey birds over here" he snickered. "Well I guess no harm in letting you stay, we have enough Apollo bars to go around." He motioned to the other guy, who put a hood over Jack's head and the three of them lead him out of the room.

Sawyer heard what Kate said. He knew that Kate is stubborn, and once she made up her mind, it's not easy to change it. But he also know it's better for her if she can get out of this place as soon as possible. The pain in his stomach has somewhat reduced to a dull ache, and he gingerly uncurled himself and pushed himself to a sitting position.

"Freckles, I ain't worth it…" he spoke weakly, but stopped when he saw Kate's expression. She was looking at him with fierce determination in her eyes.

"Don't say you are not worth it, Sawyer.. your life is just as precious as any one else's…" said Kate softly. She doesn't know why she did it either, why she gave up the chance to leave just to stay with him. She just couldn't bear to see him in pain and so helpless, she has to take care of him…

They sat that way silently for a few hours, each absorbed in his own thoughts. Then without warning, Sawyer suddenly doubled up in pain again. "Aaargh…." He groaned and fell to his side, curling up his body tightly, his forehead sweating profusely.

"Sawyer…" Kate gasped, rushing to his side.

At this point, the door opened with the middle aged woman came in with the usual chocolates. Kate caught her stealing a glance at Sawyer lying on the ground.

"Hi, I'm Kate, and this is Sawyer." she started, hoping to get a response from the woman. "Those guys injected some stuff into him, and he's in great pain. Can you help us?"

The woman acted as if she did not hear anything as usual. She put the chocolates on the table and was about to leave when Kate spoke again. "Look, I don't know what you are doing here, or why are you working for them. But is it right to subject one to such pain for the sake of some tests? Sawyer may not be the best person on earth, but he is still someone's child, someone's friend, someone's lover…. Do you bear to see your child, your friend and your loved ones suffer such pain?"

The woman stopped for a while near the door. Then she opened it and left.

'It's no use, Freckles, told you she's deaf…." Sawyer managed to say softly. The pain has reduced slightly and he has managed to straighten his body, and pushed himself to a half-sitting position. "Maybe you oughta learn some sign language." He continued, chuckling a little but soon realized that it is not a good idea as it caused his stomach to spasm in pain again.

Kate looked at him, noticing the pain-filled eyes. "We have to get out of here somehow."

The next day, Tom came to collect a sample of blood from Sawyer again. This time, Sawyer did not fight or protest. He seemed resigned to the fact that he was being made a guinea pig. The pain attacks came at about once in four hours. And Sawyer found that if he lied on his side with his body curled up, he could get through the ordeal easier.

But Kate knows if this continues, his body won't be able to take it much longer. His once tanned face now has a sick pallor beneath it. And his eyes were no longer bright, the shine replaced by pain. Even though he tried to joke after each attack, Kate knew it was wearing him out. He didn't even have the energy to finish the chocolates that she gave him.

Soon the middle aged woman came in with the chocolates again. Kate saw her stealing a glance at Sawyer who was lying on the ground resting. "He wont be able to take such pain much longer." She told the woman, studying her face as she spoke, trying to get some reaction. "Can you help us, please?"

The woman did not utter a word and turn to leave as usual. But Kate thought she saw a tear ran down the woman's face as the door was closed.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sawyer thought he heard someone crying. He opened his eyes and saw Kate sitting with her head resting on her knees, her body shaking with soft sobs. He got up slowly to a sitting position, awkwardly using his bound hands and feet to push his body up. "Freckles…. Since when our tough-lady become a cry-baby?"

Kate looked up, her eyes swollen red. "I'm not a tough lady! And I don't want to be one too!" she shouted, her tears flowing more freely now that she has let go of her feelings.

"Freckles…" Sawyer doesn't know what to say. He's never been good at comforting others. He shuffled over to sit close to Kate. She put her head on his shoulders and continued to weep. "I think…" before Sawyer could finish his sentence, the pain came again, causing an involuntary groan from him. He tried not to move as Kate's head was still on his shoulder. But Kate sensed his pain and stopped crying immediately. How she wish she can suffer the pain for Sawyer on his behalf.

The door opened, and the middle aged woman came in. This time however, she did not place any chocolates on the table. Instead she knelt besides Kate and thrushed a backpack into her arms.

"Take this" she whispered. "And be quick, I heard they are going to do another more potent test on him, and so far no one has survived that test." She turned to look at Sawyer, who was sitting with his head resting on his bent knees. His breathing was hard, clearly still in extreme pain. "There's some water and chocolates in the bag. And this…"

She put her hand into the bag and took out a syringe and a bottle with yellow liquid in it. Then she used the syringe to inject some of it into Sawyer's arm. "The pain won't go away immediately. You have to inject it every 24 hours for 7 days continuously. The frequency of the attacks should lessen after the 3rd day or so." She took out a knife and began cutting the bounds on Kate's hands and ankles, followed by Sawyer's.

"What about you? They'll know you helped us escape." Kate asked, eager to escape yet not willing to leave the woman behind. "Why don't you leave with us?"

"Don't worry about me. I know how to handle them."

"Why are you helping us?" Sawyer asked. He has lifted his head now, looking at the woman.

"I don't know… maybe you reminded me of my late husband." She turned to look at Kate. "You are right, everyone has a loved one, no matter how bad a person he is… Treasure each other, the two of you, good luck1"

"Thanks" said Kate, and she helped Sawyer to stand. He swayed slightly, but it was good to feel his feet again.

"Go through the forest, towards the south where you came from. It's further than going by boat, but it's easier to hide in the forest than on the sea" the woman advised.

"Yeah, thanks" muttered Sawyer, and he turned one last time to look at the woman, whose back was turned towards them.

Kate opened the door and walked through a corridor, supporting Sawyer's arm. The pain has lessened a little and Sawyer is now walking with more strength. They exited through a door at the end of the corridor and stepped into the middle of a forest. The place where they were being held captive the last few days was actually similar to the hatch, only that this one is bigger.

Kate looked at the sun to get her bearings right. Then both of them started to run through the forest, trying to make as little noise as possible.

After a while, both of them stopped to rest, panting heavily. "Do you think they've discovered us gone?" Sawyer asked breathlessly, leaning against a tree. "I don't think….." Kate was cut short by the sound of a flare rising in the air, sent from a distance in the direction where they came from. "Is that an alarm?"

"Let's go" Sawyer hissed, lifting himself off the tree reluctantly. He walked a few steps before the pain struck him again, the suddenness of it causing him to fall onto his knees. "Son-of-a-bitch" he cursed beneath his clenched teeth.

"Sawyer!" Kate was immediately by his side, concern etched on her face as she squatted down beside him, holding his shoulder.

Sawyer closed his eyes and took a deep breath, drawing all his strength to push the pain away. "I'm fine, let's go.." he raised himself up slowly and started to walk at a half-bent position, Kate holding on to him. It was taking all his effort not to give in to the temptation of the blackness that was threatening to overcome him. Sweat was pouring down from his forehead, as each step only cause the pain to worsen.

Sawyer could feel himself leaning more and more heavily on Kate as they walked, in spite of his efforts not to. His body started to shake uncontrollably as the pain escalates. Finally when they reached a clearing in the forest, his mind gave way to his body and he fell unceremoniously into a heap among the grass beneath him.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

He felt something soft and warm underneath him, and when he opened his eyes, he realized that he was lying on Kate's lap. He saw that that it was night time and they were among some tall bushes. Sawyer was about to open his mouth to say something when Kate put a finger to her lips to silence him. She was peeping out from a small hole among the dense bushes.

Sawyer listened and he could make out some people talking from outside the bushes. He recognized one of the voices as Henry's. Slowly he pushed himself to a sitting position, taking care not to stir the bushes around them. He was thankful that the pain in his tummy was holding out at the moment.

"They could not have run far, with the Ford guy having taken our test" one of the voices said. Suddenly a gunshot rang out. "We know you are out there! Show yourself before we shoot you!"

Sawyer could see Kate's worried eyes. He shook his head slightly at her. They have to risk it.

"Don't blame us, it's your decision!" Henry shouted, followed by sounds of gunshots shooting randomly around them. Sawyer instinctively used his body to cover Kate's protectively, pulling her close in his arms, with both their heads bent low. It was frightening to hear the bullets whizzing so close all around them.

After about 5 minutes, they heard Henry giving orders to leave. Kate raised her eyes to look at Sawyer and he shook his head slightly, indicating to her to keep still. True enough, they heard the sounds of footsteps a few minutes later. Those people were just making a false retreat.

Just then, Kate felt a warm fluid on her hands. She couldn't make out its colour in the dark. They were both still couched low in the bushes, with Sawyer's body protectively around Kate's.

"You're hurt!" Kate whispered. Sawyer immediately covered her mouth with his hand. He peeped out from the hole in the bushes, checking the surroundings.

The blood in Kate's hands get more and more. She looked at Sawyer worriedly. It was too dark and cramped to make out where was he hurt, she just hope it wasn't serious.

A few more gunshots were fired randomly around them, and then everything went quiet. Kate wanted to get up quickly to check Sawyer's wound, but he wouldn't let her move, still peeping out from the hole in the bushes.

"Why didn't you leave with good old Doc when they asked you to?" Sawyer suddenly asked in a soft voice. They were still couched behind the bushes.

"I….." Kate stammered. She doesn't know the answer to that question herself. Why? Why didn't she leave with Jack? Why?

"Let me check your wound." Kate changed the topic.

"Aww, that…." Sawyer groaned and reluctantly got up slowly to his feet. Both he and Kate crawled out of the bushes and walked to the clearing where Sawyer had collapsed earlier. He sat down gingerly on a rock.

"Looks like your shoulder has taken a bullet again, only that this time it's on your right side and it went in from the back" Kate was examining the hole. "The bullet is still inside"

"Well it looks like you have to help me dig it out this time, my hands ain't long enough to reach my back, Freckles" Sawyer said. He was trying to sound light-hearted but Kate could hear that he was in much pain. And he has lost a lot of blood judging from the amount on his shirt and on her hands.

The thought of digging out a bullet with her bare hands doesn't appeal to Kate though. "Why don't we bandage this up and try to get back to Jack quickly? I'm sure he can perform a better surgery than me."

"Anything you say, Freckles" Sawyer tilted his head and smiled at her, flashing his killer dimples. Kate looked away quickly and tore off a sleeve from Sawyer's shirt, tying it round the shoulder. Sawyer hissed in pain when the knot was tightened.

"Let's go." Sawyer said. He was starting to get up when suddenly the pain in his stomach struck again. "Aarrgh… son-of-a….." he fell to the ground and gritted his teeth.

"It's not time for your second injection yet, the woman says to wait for 24 hours…" Kate started. She doesn't know what to do. She has no way to ease the man's pain, yet it broke her heart to see him like this.

"Look, Freckles" Sawyer hissed between his gritted teeth. " I ain't in no position to run from the Others now…….. these attacks will slow us down….. plus now the damn bullet in the shoulder…." He was sweating profusely as he spoke. The bullet wound has started to bleed again beneath the makeshift bandage and his face was turning pale from the loss of blood. "Go without me, rather than the two of us……"

"No! Sawyer, listen, I'm not going to leave you behind!" Kate hissed at him. "Ever since you left on the raft, I was regretting every moment of it, letting you go without me. No way am I going to go through that again.. you understand?"

Before Sawyer has a chance to reply, they heard the sound of footsteps and rustling leaves through the jungle from the direction of where they escaped from.

TBC…


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Kate looked around their surroundings. It was still dark but she could see a little light coming through the leaves of trees overhead. It would be more difficult to run and hide from the Others in the daytime. They have to find a good hiding place fast.

Just then Kate spotted it. About 20 feet from them was something glittering from the leaves of a rather tall tree. It doesn't look like part of the forest. Kate whispered to Sawyer, "You see that tree over there? I think there is some sort of hiding place on top of it."

Sawyer squirted his eyes to focus on the tree Kate was pointing at, trying to ignore the pain in his stomach and right shoulder. It looked damn tall in his current state. "Honey, don't think I am in any state to do an impersonation of Tarzan at the moment…"

"You've got to try, come on!" Kate slipped her arm under Sawyer's armpit and hurled him onto his feet. The sounds of footsteps were getting closer. Knowing that Kate wouldn't leave him behind, Sawyer knew he had to do it for her sake. He took a deep breathe, forced himself to stand up and they ran towards the tree together .

When they reached the bottom of the tree, Sawyer gritted his teeth and immediately started to climb up. He knew that he would not have the strength to start again should he stop to rest now. It wasn't difficult to climb as it seemed that someone has cut many grooves on the thick bark where one's hands and feet could grab on to where branches were absent. But Sawyer right shoulder was screaming in protest with every movement and the pain in his stomach is not showing any sign of fading yet. He tried to concentrate on moving his hands and feet in rhythm, and the sound of Kate climbing right below him spurred him to ascend even faster.

After a short while, Sawyer's hands touched a flat platform. He crawled onto it thankfully, collapsing into a heap. Jesus, who would have thought to find a treehouse on this damn island?

Kate reached the platform right behind him. She looked around and saw what she was looking for - an old torchlight lying on the ground. It was its reflection that she saw earlier on the ground. She took it and placed it behind some leaves immediately. It would be suicidal if one of the Others' saw its reflection like she did earlier.

The place wasn't exactly a treehouse as Sawyer called it. It was just a flat wooden platform built on top of a tree, providing a good lookout point for all activities below. Rosseau must have built it, thought Kate. Luckily it seemed strong enough to support the two of them.

She looked at Sawyer. Gosh, he looked horrible. His previously ashen face was now almost completely devoid of colour. Blood was seeping out beneath the makeshift bandage on his right shoulder. He was lying curled up on the platform with his eyes closed, breathing laboriously.

"Sawyer, Sawyer, can you hear me?" Kate whispered into his ears. It was a miracle that he managed to climb this tree at all. She was prepared to grab him should he falter while climbing earlier, but thankfully he didn't as she doubted her hands will have the strength to stop a 200-lb falling body.

Sawyer opened his eyes slowly. Yeah, he could hear her alright but he didn't have the strength to reply her. He just nodded his head and offered her a weak smile, before closing his eyes again.

Kate took out a bottle of water from the backpack the middle aged woman had given them earlier. She raised Sawyer's head a little and managed to make him drink some before he laid back onto the platform.

She turned to look at the ground below her. The sound of footsteps were much closer now and soon 3 figures appeared. Kate couldn't recognize any of them but guessed they must be Henry's mates. She flattened herself low on the platform, hoping that the leaves in the trees covered her well.

The 3 people below were searching the bushes thoroughly. Kate was glad they had not remained among the bushes, as the rising sun was beginning to make the place brighter and easier to spot.

Just then, a huge bird flew across the forest, screeching in a high pitched sound. The 3 people below raised their heads to follow the bird's flight among the trees. Kate's stomach took a sickening lunge as the bird rested itself on a branch exactly on the tree the two of them are on.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Hey, look at that!" one of the people below cried out, pointing to a spot slightly above the platform where Kate and Sawyer hid. "Have you ever seen an uglier bird than that? Ha ha …."

While the 3 of them were laughing among themselves and it was apparent that they did not see herself and Sawyer on the tree, Kate's knees went weak with relief. Luckily she was lying flat on her stomach, hence there was no risk of toppling off the platform.

After what seemed like an eternity, the 3 of them finally left the vicinity either to continue their search elsewhere or return to the hatch. Kate crawled cautiously over to Sawyer, who had been abnormally quiet throughout.

He was still lying on his side curled up with his eyes closed. "Sawyer, Sawyer, are you awake?" Kate whispered, not daring to speak too loudly in case those people were still nearby.

Sawyer closely flickered his eyes opened slowly. The pain in his stomach has lessened, but the throbbing in his shoulder is now attacking him with full force. And he felt weak all over and feverish, coupled with a massive headache too, probably from the blood loss and the damn bullet in his shoulder, he reckoned.

He tried to sit up, wincing when the action jarred his injured shoulder. Kate put her arms behind his back, ready to support him if he falls. After the initial wave of dizziness passed, Sawyer managed to sit fairly steady on his own, his left arm cradling his injured right.

"Looks like Tarzan and Jane have found themselves a nice home eh?" he chuckled, but stopped himself immediately when it sent waves of pain through his head and shoulder.

Kate didn't miss the grimace on his face though. Earlier she had felt that his hand was a bit warmer than that due to the topical heat when helping him to sit up. She leaned over and touched his forehead with the back of her hand and was not surprised to find that he indeed has a fever now.

"Missing old doc eh?" Sawyer said when he saw Kate's worried expression. "Pity he didn't leave behind his surgical knives and those anti-biotics." Kate remained quiet and looked away from him.

"I'll go get us some fruits, you must be hungry…" Kate muttered more to herself before she started scrampling down the tree agilely.

Sawyer watched her leave. He knew that Kate wasn't too keen to help him remove the bullet, remembering her reaction when he mentioned she had to help him do the job earlier. She probably is not as tough as she looks, he thought to himself with a smile.

Knowing that the bullet has to come out before he succumb to lead poisoning or whatsoever, Sawyer braced himself for the task. Shifting to a better position and trying to ignore the pain in his head, he turned to look at the bandage Kate had wound round his shoulder. It is now completely soaked with blood, and the rest of his shirt has turned crimson too.

He removed the bandage gingerly with his good hand, and stopped to catch his breathe for a while. The blood loss was making everything around him sway dangerously, and tilting his head to see the wound behind his shoulder isn't making things any more pleasant either.

After his breathing stabilize a little, Sawyer lifted his good hand again. He reached across his shoulder and felt the wound, gasping when the action shot needles of pain into his whole arm, right up to his fingertips. Knowing that he could not stop now, he immediately dug his fingers into his flesh. It was not easy as the bullet was rather far in, and he could not see its exact location. Blood was pouring out of the wound profusely now with his every movement, and he was sweating with the pain and effort, trying his best to keep away the cloud of darkness threatening to envelop him.

Finally his fingers felt the offending piece of metal, and he pinched it carefully before removing it out of his shoulder slowly, not daring to lose it now.

When Sawyer had the bloody bullet held securely within his palm at last, he let out a long sigh and sat with his head hung limply down. His head was still throbbing mercilessly, and the fever made him feel extremely cold. The shoulder wound, though devoid of the bullet now, still felt like it was being attacked with nails and needles. And he could imagine the amount of blood flowing out thorough his body now, judging from his light-headedness.

From the corner of his eye, Sawyer caught sight of the water bottle that Kate had fed him with water earlier. It was a welcome sight. He got to his feet slowly and walked towards the half-filled bottle which was lying at the edge of the platform. Everything had started to sway dangerously the moment he got up but he managed to get his hand on the bottle without mishap.

Just at the moment, the huge bird which had been resting on a branch in the tree shrieked suddenly and flew up, flapping its large wings all around, sending leaves and twigs falling onto the platform. Startled, Sawyer turned his head abruptly to see what caused the distraction but it was a bad decision. His head, already swimming earlier with fever and blood loss, could not take the sudden movement. The whole forest started to sway in front of his eyes and before he knew it, his foot stepped onto thin air and he found himself plunging from the platform 20 feet towards the forest ground.

TBC….


	10. Chapter 10

Hi sorry for the long break, was in Germany for 2 weeks, now back…

Chapter 10

Kate was pleased with herself. She was glad that she had helped Sun in her gardens and knew now which are the plants for relieving pain and preventing infection. And she had managed to find these plants in the forest, which she was holding in her hands, together with some mangoes. Sawyer is going to need those herbs when she removes the bullet from his shoulder. True, she doesn't relish the idea of removing a bloody bullet from someone's flesh but she got to help him do it before that thing turns septic.

Just when she was reaching the tree, she thought she saw something lying underneath it which wasn't there before. Afraid that it might be some wild animal, she slowed down her steps and moved cautiously forward.

"Sawyer? Sawyer!" Kate threw all precaution to the air when she realised the 'thing' underneath the tree was Sawyer lying face down on the ground. She rushed to his side and discovered to her dismay that he was unconscious and the bandage she tied round his bullet wound earlier was no longer there and there was a big patch of blood on the wound now. One of his hands held the half-filled water bottle.

Kate put her finger to his neck and found that his pulse, though weak, was too quick, indicating severe blood loss. She gently turned his face to the side and examined the bullet wound, seeing that the hole has been widened and was now bleeding profusely. This crazy guy must have dug at his own wound to remove the bullet, she thought. But she wasn't sure whether he succeeded in his mission. Is the bullet still inside?

Just then she saw that his other fist was clenched around something small. Prising it open, she saw a blood-stained bullet inside. Glad that she does not have to perform the nerve-wrecking job, she removed the water bottle from his hand and poured the water on the wound to cleanse it. Then she squashed the plants which she found earlier and applied it as a paste on top of the wound. Finally she tored off his other sleeve and tied it as a bandage tightly around the wound. She used the remaining water to wash the blood off her hands.

Kate noticed that Sawyer did not move at all throughout her administering. His face was still extremely pale and his breathing shallow. How the world did he fall down the tree? Has he injured himself by that fall? She couldn't tell at the moment, with he still lying on his front. And what is she going to do now? She couldn't get his unconscious body up the tree on her own and the Others may return any moment. Looking around her, she decided to drag him behind some bushes.

Sawyer felt someone dragging him by his feet over the rough ground. And how that hurts, his injured shoulder and his left foot especially . When the movement stopped, he opened his eyes slowly, trying not to wince.

"Freckles?" he mumbled, his voice barely audible. But Kate heard it. "Hey how do you feel?" she asked him softly.

"Like someone's been dragging me like a corpse over the ground." he mumbled. He pushed himself up painfully and rolled over onto his back, and couldn't stifle a moan when the wound at the back of his shoulder made contact with the ground.

Kate saw the movement. "Did you injured yourself anywhere when you fall?"

"Oh, so that's why my whole body aches" Sawyer thought to himself. He didn't remember the fall until now. Gingerly, he tried to raise himself to a sitting position, trying not to wince. "No Freckles, I just……." But he didn't manage to finish his sentence as suddenly the pain in his stomach hit him again. He was so caught up with his new injuries and afflictions and he had completely forgotten about that. It caught him off guard and he fell back heavily onto the ground, jarring his shoulder badly in the process, and curled up on his side immediately.

"Oh Sawyer, I forgot to give you the second dose of injection!" Kate exclaimed when she saw him in pain. She quickly climbed up the tree to retrieve the backpack on the platform. She climbed back down and injected the yellow liquid into Sawyer's arm. Then she put the mangoes which she picked into the backpack.

As it was not a painkiller, it took a while later when the pain subsides that Sawyer was able to straighten his body a little. His eyes were tightly closed and his face was pale as a sheet.

"Sawyer, can you walk?" Kate asked a while later. She was reluctant to get him to move in his weakened state but that was not a good hiding place. They had to get out of the forest as soon as possible.

Sawyer opened his eyes at her words. Kate bent and helped him to sit up. She could feel him shaking with the effort and his body was hot with fever. She held his good arm and brought him to a standing position. As soon as Sawyer's feet touched the ground, he felt a sharp pain shooting up his entire left leg from his ankle all the way to his hips. Luckily Kate held him firmly, standing with her feet wide apart to brace him in case he falls. She wasn't sure if her petite figure could support him, but at least she must try.

As Sawyer shifted his weight onto his good foot, the surroundings start to spin around him mercilessly and his head throbbed in wild protest. He leaned heavily on Kate before his breathing becomes more regular and the dizzy spell abate a little. At least now the wound in his shoulder seemed to have stopped bleeding and there was a 'bandage' around it. But he still felt extremely cold and he was sure he had sprained his left foot during the 20 feet plunge.

"All right, let's go before those self-appointed scientists catch up and decide to do what-the-hell-you-know tests on us again.." Sawyer put his good hand around Kate's shoulder and they started to walk albeit slowly. Kate bent to pick up the backpack one-handedly and looped it round her other shoulder. She hoped that Sawyer would be able to last till they can find a good hiding place.

TBC…. no cliffhanger this time LOL.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

They walked this way for almost half the day, stopping twice only, once when Sawyer's stomach pain struck and once when his injured foot gave way beneath him and Kate fell onto the ground with him.

Sawyer knew his condition was not getting better, if not worse. His whole body ached with the fever and every step was pure agony as it sent stabbing pains through the injured ankle. On top of that, the massive headache remained, though the pain in his shoulder has reduced to a dull throb. His vision was getting dizzier too, and he was sure he would have collapsed right onto the ground had Kate not support him.

"Why don't we stop to eat something?" Kate suggested. She was hungry, yes, but the main reason was she wants to check Sawyer's condition. He should be resting now, not trotting through a forest in his state.

Sawyer nodded his head wearily and Kate helped him limp towards a tree, where she lowered him to lean against the trunk. She took out a mango and some chocolates from the backpack, offering them to Sawyer.

"No, Freckles, I'm not in a picnic mood right now." Sawyer attempted to lighten the mood. Kate sighed and started to munch the chocolates. She didn't realise how tired she herself was until now. "Why aren't you eating?" she asked.

"Thought I just told you the reason?" Sawyer said, leaning his head against the trunk and closing his eyes. "You need to eat to regain your energy! " Kate hissed at him fiercely. She still remembered how he used his own body to shield her from the bullets flying above them. Oh, does he really think he is made of steel? That he can deflect bullets and go without food?

"Nay, prefer to sleep.." Sawyer replied without opening his eyes, his voice barely audible. Kate could see that the walk has almost depleted what little energy he had left and he was clearly in much pain. "But…" Kate's sentence was cut in mid-air when sounds of rustling leaves were heard coming from some bushes in front of them.

Sawyer opened his eyes as he had apparently heard the noise too. He pushed his good hand against the tree behind him and stood up gingerly, taking care to let the uninjured foot take most of his body weight. The world span dizzily around him once again and Kate was quick to put an arm around his waist to stop him from falling.

To their great surprise and relief, it was Jack and Sayid who emerged from the bushes. "Kate! Sawyer!" Jack exclaimed as he saw them, clearly rejoiced at his finding.

"Woo-hoo, goody Doc and Ali to the rescue ……." Sawyer started to say before his world suddenly turned black and he collapsed into a heap. Kate didn't have the strength to stop his fall but she managed to somehow slow down the speed of it and lessen the damage he would have done to himself.

"Sawyer! What's wrong with him?" Jack asked Kate as he bent to examine Sawyer.

"He's got shot by a bullet in his shoulder, the bullet's out but he had lost a lot of blood. I think he is having a fever too and he's hurt his foot from the fall from the tree".

Jack looked as if he couldn't believe what he heard. How come this guy seem to get himself injured all the time? And what was he doing on top of a tree? He lifted Sawyer's head up a little and felt his forehead, shaking his head at the fever. Then he examined the shoulder wound and found that it had stopped bleeding, so he didn't remove the bandage Kate had tied earlier. Next he removed Sawyer's left boot. The ankle was red and has swollen to almost twice its size, no doubt aggravated by the walk through the jungle.

Jack worked to bandage Sawyer's ankle with some bandages which he carried in his backpack. "How did you escape?" he asked Kate. "Did the Others shoot him?"

Kate sighed. "It's a long story, think we better get as far away from this place first, we aren't far enough from their place".

Sayid spoke for the first time. "I believe she is right. We are in their territory. Let's get back to our side of the island first." He bent down and looped the unconscious Sawyer's arm around his shoulder. Jack quickly took Sawyer's other arm and did the same. Together they managed to hold the Southerner between them and walked from where they came from. Kate followed silently behind.

They walked until it turned dark and all exhausted, they stopped to rest under a tree. Sayid offered to take the first watch. Sawyer still remained unconscious when they laid him down.

In the middle of the night, Jack was awakened by Sayid's frantic voice. "What happened?" he asked.

"It's Sawyer, he seemed to be in pain" Sayid said. Jack turned and true enough, Sawyer was awake and doubled up and gasping in pain, clutching at his stomach in agony. But there was no injury to his stomach when Jack examined earlier! 'Oh… the Others" Jack suddenly recalled that Others had injected Sawyer with something as part of their 'tests' and he was in pain when he left them.

"Yes but you don't have to worry about that" Kate's voice came from behind him. Apparently she had also awakened. "One of them who helped us to escape gave me something to inject him every 24 hours for 7 days. I had already given him 2 doses. The next one is due tomorrow morning. The pain should lessen after the 3rd day or so".

Jack turned to examine Sawyer again. Although he was still in the curled up position, his breathing seemed to be more regular now, indicating the pain has lessened. But the fever remained. They had to get back to their hatch as soon as possible.

"Don't worry about me, I'm not dying yet" Sawyer growled at them, though his voice was very weak.

As it was already near daybreak, Sayid decided to scout ahead for any dangers. Kate followed him, leaving Jack to care for Sawyer.

Jack sat in silence overwatching Sawyer lying with his eyes closed on the ground, not sure whether the latter was sleeping or unconscious. There was nothing much he could do now and he hoped Sawyer would pull through the ordeal.

Suddenly a loud rumbling was heard in the forest, followed by a woman's scream. Thinking that it sounded like Kate's, Jack immediately stood up and ran into the forest towards the source of the voice. Sawyer's eyes opened and he got up too and followed Jack, though his action was slower due to his injured shoulder and ankle.

Sawyer limped painfully into the forest after Jack, and stopped when he saw Jack standing at what looked like the edge of a cliff, looking downwards and shouting for Kate's name. At this moment, the rumbling noise came again and the ground shook. Jack lost his footing and fell over the cliff face.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Sawyer immediately ran towards the cliff, dropped to lie on his stomach in an amazing speed, and managed to grab hold of Jack's wrist tightly before he fall from reach. Jack gripped Sawyer's wrist in return and moved his legs frantically to try to find a foothold to stand upon.

Sawyer discovered to his dismay that in his haste, he had stretched out his right injured hand, which was now screaming in pain. Jack's weight had pulled at the shoulder wound and Sawyer could feel it open and the warm blood flowing out. He was afraid he won't able to hold the grip for long. His other hand had managed to grab hold of a rock protruding from the ground, the only thing stopping the 2 of them from plunging down the cliff.

"Sawyer! What happened?" Kate came running to where he was lying. She looked down the cliff and saw Jack hanging on for his life. Turning to look at Sawyer, she saw that the muscles in his arms were stretched taut with effort and his face showing obvious pain.

"Get….. Sayid…." Sawyer grinded his teeth against the pain. He knew that even if Kate helped, she won't have the strength to haul Jack up.

Kate froze for a moment before she quickly took off running. After a short while, Sawyer was relieved to hear Sayid's voice. His shoulder felt to be on fire and he could feel the grip weakening. The hand holding on to the rock was also now bleeding from cuts on the rough rock face.

Sayid took an overall look before quickly taking out a sturdy rope from his backpack and he tied one end round his waist. He tied the other end to a tree nearby and instructed Kate to hold on to the slack in between. Then he ran over and laid face down next to Sawyer, stretched out one of his hands to grab Jack's other hand, the other hand holding on firmly to the rope tied to the tree.

"OK, pull!" Sayid shouted and both he and Sawyer pulled Jack slowly up the cliff. Kate held tight to the rope as she watched Jack emerge over the top.

When they finally got Jack over the cliff, Sawyer collapsed onto the ground rolling onto his left side immediately. Kate rushed over to him and found him shaking with pain, his eyes tightly shut and his previously pale face was now almost deathly white.

"Are you alright?" Sayid asked Jack. Jack nodded, taking a while to normalise his breathing before running over to where Sawyer laid. As expected the shoulder wound has reopened and is now bleeding profusely, soaking through the old bandages. Jack put a hand on his forehead and found that his temperature has risen even further.

"How did you fall down the cliff?" Sayid asked.

"I thought I heard Kate screaming from below, I stood at the edge looking for her, the ground shook and I went over" Jack replied. Now thinking back, maybe it was not Kate's voice that he heard.

"Think we better get out of this place fast. Not a good sign to hear women screaming and the ground shaking" Sayid said. "Can you walk?" he asked Sawyer.

Sawyer opened his eyes and decided not to use his limited energy to reply. He attempted to sit up, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in the shoulder. Halfway up, a sudden pain that felt like a stab shot up from his shoulder all the way down his legs and he nearly collapsed back onto the ground had Kate not been supporting him. Finally when he managed to sit up, his whole body was covered in sweat and his breaths were coming in short gasps.

Sayid bent and helped Sawyer get to his feet, Kate at the other side. After the initial dizziness has passed, Sawyer managed to walk with the two of them supporting him at each side, his injured ankle threatening to give way with every step. Jack walked slightly ahead of them.

The four of them went back to retrieve Jack's backpack where he took out the bandages and rebandaged Sawyer's shoulder. Then they continued to walk as fast as Sawyer could manage, only resting when Sawyer's stomach pain strikes or when it gets too dark. Jack gave Sawyer the daily dose of injection, checking that his condition though did not improve much, at least did not get worse. And the stomach pains did indeed lessened after the third jab as the woman promised.

After walking for about 2 days, the four of them finally reached the beach, since the hatch had been destroyed. By then Sawyer was nearly delirious with the fever and blood loss, limping in whatever direction that Sayid and Kate led him. The pains in his shoulder, stomach, head, ankle have all merged to a point where he couldn't differentiate any of them. They brought him to lie down on the plane seat in his tent where Jack cleaned and rebandaged his wounds properly, giving him some medicine for the fever and infection. Kate insisted on staying next to him throughout though she herself was pretty much tired.

"Looks like I need the doctor to save my life again uh?" Sawyer said to Jack, his eyes almost shut with exhaustion.

"Actually this time you saved my life first, from the cliff." Jack replied. "Thanks". Sawyer raised one eyebrow at that, not used to being thanked. For the first time, he doesn't have a smart retort to that, so he decided to close his eyes and have the much delayed rest that he needed.

"I'll stay with him…" Kate told Jack, her eyes not leaving Sawyer. She gently placed a hand on his forehead, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. "…forever"

END.

Big thanks to all my reviewers who kept me going especially to Freckles101, shirik, Jimmy-barnes-13, speckled girl, Piper chris fan, and everybody else! This is my first fanfic, and maybe my last? Anybody, hope everyone enjoyed the story, thanks for reading and reviewing !


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